Marianne de Nazareth, 60, who has diabetes, began controlling her sugar levels in all earnestness after she received a jolt with partial loss of her eyesight. Now she is super conscious about her diet and runs with a passion. Take a leaf from her journey.
To be diagnosed with diabetes at 35 was the lowest point of my life. It was during the birth of my third child, Steve, that I was detected with borderline sugar. But I never really had time to bother about it. I was caught in the throes of motherhood raising three boys.
Eight years later, once again I was made conscious of my sugar when I visited my uncle in the UK. He is diabetic and a random check with his glucometer showed my blood sugar reading to be 120. Back home in Bangalore, I visited my family doctor who said if I could control my sugar with exercises, I need not start any medicines.
So one fine morning, I got into my swimsuit and jumped into the pool to start a strict regimen of swimming. Not that I knew how to swim; I had never joined any classes. But I knew I wouldn’t drown. I had become well acquainted with the different strokes and techniques, just watching my sons being coached, two of whom became national level swimmers. Soon I learnt how to swim, began enjoying the water and swam regularly.
I was put on insulin
But I guess my laps in the pool were not enough. My second son, Andrew, who was studying at St. John’s Medical College, began to badger me to get my sugar checked. With his growing medical knowledge, he was becoming increasingly concerned about my sugar readings. He knew I had a huge craving for all things sweet. Whenever anybody brought chocolates or sweets home, I would devour them wilfully. On my son’s insistence, I finally visited the diabetologist. My sugar, as he had feared, had gone up to 180. Now, I not only had to take medicines, but I was put on 18 units of insulin too.
As the diabetes tablets and injections started, my swimming came to a complete halt. The chlorine began to ruin my hair. I had clumps of hair falling and feared I would be bald soon. I switched to something that suited me better - the gym. I started exercising on the treadmill for about 20 minutes every day.
I also made small modifications in my diet. I cut down my consumption of sugar substantially; I quashed my carvings for chocolates, pastries, cakes; I stopped having rice. It requires a lot of will power to change old habits. But my son kept motivating me.
Retinal Vein Occlusion
There was one incident that shook me pretty badly. One day my BP suddenly spiked and, to my ill luck, I suffered a retinal vein occlusion (RVO) or an eye stroke in my left eye. Occlusion results in a vein in the retina becoming blocked leading to blurry vision or sudden permanent blindness. It is common in people with high blood pressure and diabetes. I had to take 7 expensive shots in the eye to retain my vision. Even with all the medications, there is 20% loss in the left eye. Thankfully my right eye is perfectly alright.
Till the occlusion incident happened, I was being driven more by my son to control my sugar levels. But since then, my attitude has changed completely. Now 24x7 I am conscious about my glucose levels. I have removed all carbs from my diet. I focus on non-veg and plenty of salads. I used to be an ardent ‘fruitarian’. I could survive on fruits. But now I have to go easy on them, and eat only a few helpings.
I run to lower blood sugar
In the last two years, I have developed a passion for running. Now I run on the footpaths of Bangalore every alternate morning. I follow the walk-run routine. Once I was chased by a dog that almost bit me. Being diabetic, I cannot afford to have infections and sores. But that has not deterred me. Now I carry pepper spray when I run, so no dog dares to come near me.
My diabetes is in control now. Currently, I take Janumet 500 and Lantus insulin 10 units. I have got 6 dental implants done. Doctors hesitate to do dental implants for people with uncontrolled diabetes because healing becomes an issue. Thankfully I have had no problem.
I exercise and exert myself daily to stay fit. I want to stay alive for my grandchildren. My son Andrew, who has been like a watchdog for my diabetes since his college days, is a cardiologist today settled in the US. My oldest son, David, is in the UK and my youngest, Steven, stays in Bangalore with us.
What keeps me upbeat continuously, despite my diabetes, are my diverse interests. I currently teach media and communication to post graduate students at St. Joseph's College. I have stopped using the car and walk to college which about 15 minutes one way. I love gardening, travelling, reading, writing. I have authored 2 books, one on how Parkinson’s affected my parents, and the other is a travelogue. Two more novels are in the pipeline.
My advice to people with diabetes…
My advice to diabetics is - this is a dangerous disease and one which should not be taken lightly. There are a lot of foods which turn into sugar, not just chocolates and Indian sweets. I was educated by my doctor son that I need to cut out carbs from my diet, not just sugar and rice. So I have begun to eat a lot of salads and meats and get my protein from lean chicken or eggs which I love.
I am very clear when I go for parties that I do not indulge since my favourite foods may be there. Your hostess will understand if you refuse a drink or have a diet coke instead. If there is none of those, then I would rather nurse a tall glass of iced water! Why should you wait till you destroy an eye, like I did? Just some control and, of course, regular exercise is the key.
I run/ walk at 6:30 in the morning every other day and or cycle on a stationary bike, on other days. It’s hard to be disciplined, but the fact that so many people die of diabetic complications, including my beloved Dad, motivates me. I don’t want to be just another number, and will fight till the end.
